


Practical Soul Bonding

by truelyesoteric



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: M/M, Snark, Soul Bond, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-26 08:58:38
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19002559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/truelyesoteric/pseuds/truelyesoteric
Summary: You were sixteen when I gave you my soul.You were seventeen when you secured it to you for safekeeping.You were eighteen when you went away.I was twenty-one when you saved my life.I was twenty-two when you let me in.I was twenty-three when you left.At twenty-five you returned. At thirty I was still here.With this thing still between us.





	Practical Soul Bonding

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: I hadn’t read fan fic in a while. I dipped my toe into a night of reading fan fic, which lead to me looking at some of my barely started stories. I started typing on this with just under 1K and around 3K I found some plot. Things spun out of control. I haven’t written forever, forgive all things. It’s not my fault they couldn’t be schmoopy. They wanted to be snarky.

Sheriff Noah Stilinski was used to his son making proclamations. At three Stiles had declared that he was too old to be carried ever again. At six he told his father that he was going to be Batman. At eleven he informed the Sheriff that they were still going to be a family and live together forever. At thirteen he swore that Lydia Martin would be joining them. At fourteen Stiles rabidly insisted that all food in the house would be heart safe.

So the Sheriff was used to it.

So he wasn’t overly concerned when he found his son at seventeen facedown on the table with five college acceptance letters strewn on it, as if Stiles had ripped each one open and thrown it down. They all looked remarkably thick and accepting.

Stiles looked up with that look on his face. The Sheriff put on his placating father look and prepared for another of those conversations.

“If you want me to go to college,” Stiles said, after finally sitting up. “I’m going to have to have sex with someone accused of murder, unfairly by me I might add, but still someone you’ve arrested, who also is a werewolf, who also has made some questionable life choices from the outside, but is pretty okay once you know the story, well sometimes, and also who you are going to think is too old. I also want you to know, with absolute certainty that there was no consent on his part for me to be his soul mate, but I’m stuck with it and I’m stuck with him because of the buzzing if I go to far away. If I have sex with him then I can go farther, but I have to do this sex and commitment thing if you want me to go to college.”

As far as proclamations went, this one was confusing.

The Sheriff scrunched up his forehead. “Is this a video game?”

“This is Derek Hale,” Stiles sighed.

Werewolf. Sex. His son.

Derek. Hale.

The Sheriff felt lightheaded, although this wasn’t the first time Stiles had brought this on. He sat down across from his son, his son’s future randomly on the table in front of them.

“Stiles, I’m really going to need more on this one,” Noah said in Sheriff voice. “I’m going to need a whole lot more.”

**

It hadn’t been something Stiles had given more than three minutes thought to at the time. He had committed to one of the biggest things any one could do because of Harpies, Derek’s pale skin, and a book he had no right to.

“It’s fine,” Derek said, holding a hand to his chest. It was said through gritted teeth and with Derek’s trademark scorn, but the determination was lost to the gasping and the undercurrent of pain in his voice.

The Harpies were stealing the soul of a Hale.

Stiles sat on the floor of the veterinary clinic and watched Derek tried to hold in his soul with his own hands, on his knees, doubled over.

Derek had almost seemed so resigned to die, so many times. This time seemed different. Derek didn’t seem to want to break, he had so little left – his body, his wolf, and his soul.

Stiles bit his lip. This wasn’t fair. Derek shouldn’t have to lose another thing. He had been violated too many times.

Stiles didn’t think about it, there really was no time.

In a second the decision was made. In a minute he was surrounded by candles with one of Deaton’s books, doing a spell he had read while snooping.

It was a hail Mary, that he had no idea would work. Derek had to be willing, there had to be a connection, Stiles had to be receptive. Stiles had absolutely no idea if any of that could happen. The spell would search their souls and judge if this was true. The magic that Stiles spoke would determine who got Derek’s soul.

But this was the only thing that he could think of and he was so goddamned tired of losing people. He didn’t want to lose Derek.

Stiles said the words and looked at Derek who was staring at him between wincing.

Their eyes met.

“Do you accept?” Stiles said, breathless after speeding through the spell.

“Yes,” Derek said with heartbreaking desperation and then in a much lower voice. “I’m sorry.”

Stiles looked at him and suddenly Stiles could only feel the weight that life had on Derek. He could only feel years and years of wrong. In that moment Stiles was sure. He was absolutely sure that he wanted to do this.

That he could do this.

“Then my soul binds to yours,” Stiles said.

They looked at each other. There was a moment of calm. Their eyes held for what felt like forever.

Then it hit, awareness and a whole new consciousness.

They both slumped to the wall as the spell settled in their bones. Derek breathed, free of the Harpies designs on his soul. In its stead was an awareness of each other. 

Stiles closed his eyes and thunked his head against the wall. Derek leaned his head forward.

It would be a year before they were able to look at each other again.

**

S: What do you think Twinkies are made of?

D: They have labels.

S: You’re ruining my lazy.

D: You literally have a computer in your hands. Ask it.

S: Stop pouting and maybe I will.

D: So we’re doing this now?

S: If you’re going to be a mess of antsy emotions, I’m going to do this. Anger at my intrusion is better than moping.

D: I don’t mope.

S: I have your soul Derek. I know differently.

**

Stiles really thanked god for tables. His head rested against the cafeteria table, completely ignoring what quite possibly was infecting his pores at the given moment.

“Did he freak about age, werewolf, or the whole –“

Stiles looked up at Scott. “I swear to god if you say the whole S-bonding word I will kill you.”

“I feel like we should spit, every time we think the word,” Scott agreed. 

“That sounds unsanitary,” Stiles sighed, his eyes faraway.

He stretched out on the table, looking forlorn, but he wasn’t banging his head on the table any longer.

“How’s Derek?” Scott asked, with a glint in his eye.

Stiles responded without thinking. “He’s hungry and working out way too much, even for him. He’s concerned about the appearance of that Omega.”

Scott nodded. “Have you talked to him about this?”

Stiles lifted his head to make eye contact with Scott. “Oh yeah, he psyched to have a piece of me.”

Scott just gave him a look. “Are you just texting still? Have you actually had words pass between you too?”

“We talk on the phone,” Stiles sighed.

Scott raised his eyebrows. “Well that is a step seeing as you feel everything he is feeling.”

Stiles made a dismissive face. “Why would we need words if we already know.”

“Maybe because you are made of words,” Scott pointed out. “And he’s made of syllables that cut to the bone.”

“Poetic,” Stiles sighed with the weight of two souls that had seen way too much in their combined forty-one years. “It’s just too hard to make eye contact.”

“Deaton did say that it was usually done by people who were planning on spending their lives together, to enhance power.”

“Yeah, not a werewolf and a boy,” Stiles agreed. “Who barely exist on the same plane. We fucked up and if I’m more than five miles from him my brain nearly explodes until we consummate this, which I’m sure is awesome. Guess this clears up my any potential sexual identity crisis. I’m Derek-sexual.”

Scott snorted. “Like you didn’t think about it before.”

Stiles sat up and stared at Scott. “Hush your mouth. You don’t know these things.”

“No but the girls do. They that they’re not surprised and there has to be something between the two of you for this whole spell to have taken.”

“Well awesome,” Stiles said, completely done with this conversation. “I wonder if there is pudding today.”

**

Deaton told them that the soul bonding was permanent but unfixed. It was Derek’s soul in Stiles’ body. Stiles was the host and could sense Derek’s soul, but Derek had a direct access to it. Derek had to be near it or they both got sick and could die.

Affixing the soul required intimacy.

Which was a problem because Derek and Stiles hadn’t been in visual range since it happened.

**

D: Can I ask something?

S: So we’re trying something new today?

D: ???

S: Politeness?

D: Noted. Won’t happen again.

S: See that it doesn’t. Ask away.

D: Have you freaked out at any point? 

S: Not about you. Just college. And telling my dad.  
S: Should I?  
S: Have you?

D: No.

S: Wonder why?

D: Let’s not poke this bear.

S: This is a bear that I will defiantly not be poking.

**

Stiles showed up at the Hale House. Derek was deconstructing the house and had plans to reconstruct another house.

They hadn’t seen each other in a year.

They talked on the phone almost every day and texted every few hours. Mostly Stiles to tell Derek to eat, or stop wallowing, or to get out of the house. It had taken a bit, but Derek would also send Stiles questions about tv, or the town, or random philosophy. It was as if they were friends who had only met online. They did a bang-up job being at different places when the monsters came into the town, avoidance seemed to be their strong suit. It was a talent really.

He was on the roof of the porch when Stiles drove up.

Derek stopped everything when he saw Stiles. He just stared.

Stiles gave it back full force.

Derek thought Stiles was growing into himself, clothing was more grown up, hair was paid attention to, his presence was calmer and more sure.

Stiles thought that Derek seemed to fit now. His eyes didn’t try to pierce the world, his muscles didn’t tense immediately, his presence was calmer and more sure.

“I want to go to college,” Stiles yelled up. 

He had no reason to ask how Derek was doing or worry about small talk, he had almost hourly updates and emojis on his phone and there was the soul pulsing calmly.

Derek jumped down from the roof and they stood feet apart. Derek seemed wider, stronger. Stiles seemed taller than a year ago.

“I don’t want to be an albatross around your neck,” Derek nodded. 

“You need to have sex with me,” Stiles said. “And I have read the books and it seems like there needs to be cuddling and time, I have no idea what cuddling with you would be like, so this is going to be interesting. I mean I have no idea what sex with me will be like either, but you’ll have to let me know if it is interesting. We have to settle the soul bond so I can go away.”

Derek swallowed. He knew what they had to do. He knew Stiles was a virgin. He did not know about the cuddling.

“My dad has reluctantly given us a cabin on the stipulation that he talks to you first,” Stiles said. “Fair warning he will have at least one fire arm and it will have wolfsbane bullets, but he wants me to go to college, he also wants me to be safe. He wants to make sure that this is consensual. I promised him that I’m very attracted to you and that this will be the fun part of this whole situation, but he’s my dad and he has some very serious questions.”

“Is this okay with you?” Derek asked, looking in Stiles’ face for an answer, as if he couldn’t hear the stuttering of Stiles’ heart if he lied.

Stiles looked at him. “Have you seen you? I’m sure without this I would probably do worse.”

“Little shallow,” Derek said gruffly, slightly offended.

“We’re hardly romantic,” Stiles replied, trying to backpedal. He never could get the right words out about this kind of thing. He was really having trouble putting the gnashing emotions into words.

Derek crossed his arms and glowered.

“I trust you,” Stiles said with more seriousness than Derek could remember. “I want to.”

Derek swallowed. “Then I want to also.”

They looked at each other, not strangers, not friends, but more than willing to do anything for each other.

“I promise to try to make it a little fun at least,” Stiles said with a grin.

The edges of Derek’s mouth curled up. “You had me at ‘I want to go to college.’”

Stiles rolled his eyes. “I’m going to get you a sense of humor from this decade one day.”

A flash of white shone from Derek’s face. “Good luck with that. Text me when I can meet with your dad and, assuming I survive, when we are taking our vacation.”

Stiles grinned back at him. “You might as well show me this house you’re always talking about while I’m here.”

Derek motioned towards the house.

They spent their first afternoon in a year together. It was like they were whole new people but had never been apart.

**

D: I think that that may be the most emotionally scarring event of my life.

S: YOU SURIVIVED!  
S: Also probably not true.

D: You weren’t there.

S: My dad is grinning and gave me the thumbs up. I think he likes you.

D: You are wrong. This is the most humiliating and awkward situation I’ve ever been in.

S: With you on that.  
S: Although what comes next might be worse.

D: I don’t think even we can screw it up that badly.

**

Stiles drove half an hour by himself. They decided to take different cars. 

Just in case.

Derek’s car was already in front of the cabin when Stiles got there. The cabin wasn’t super large, but it had a front porch with a swing. For a second Stiles felt like he was going to defile the cabin that families stayed at.

Then Derek came out of the cabin. Stiles sat in his car and just looked at Derek, face of a god, body of chiseled rock, mouth of sin. Something was happening to the souls. They were humming and it felt like they were burrowing into each other. Stiles couldn’t catch his breath for a minute.

Derek crossed his arms over his chest. Stiles got out of the car and walked to Derek.

“Can we not make this weirder than it has to be?” Stiles asked. “I know that I’m probably not your dream date…”

Stiles trailed off as Derek slowly, very slowly looked him from head to toe and then returned his gaze to his eyes.

The souls were absolutely vibrating.

Stiles was very sure this wouldn’t be a chore for either of them. He even felt a warm rush, as if Derek really wanted this.

He swallowed and gathered all his courage and crossed the space between them, up the porch stairs and pulled Derek’s face to his.

Even before their lips touched it was electric, just being in each other’s space. When their lips touched the world seemed to white out.

**

Stiles would never forget it.

It would come inappropriately back at the most random of times, the flashes of memories that would make him immediately blush red and be rock hard, not matter where he was.

The rasp of Derek’s shirt as Stiles tore it off, suddenly bare skin all on display and only for him.

The skim of Derek’s hand around the waist of his jeans, fingers between the waistband and skin.

Derek’s flat tongue licking a long strip up his body, coming to circle on a sensitive nipple.

The feeling of a hand wrap around him, strong and sure, thumb finding his sensitive slit.

A hard cock in his own hand, already leaking.

Derek’s mouth biting up his neck.

Their mouth’s together as if they were eating each other alive.

Derek opened himself, eyes on Stiles. Stiles was absolutely sure, as he saw fingers disappear into Derek, that this was probably going to be the sexiest thing that he ever saw in his life.

Stiles touched. Nothing was out of bounds and he was going to touch and taste and have everything, because he could. The feelings of Derek’s arousal, the want, the need pulsed through their souls and Stiles was in awe of the feeling and greedily wanted it all.

When Stiles pushed in, neither one of them could stop shaking. There was nothing between them. Every crevice had been explored with fingers and mouths and skin on skin.

The orgasm rippled. Both of them could now feel what the other was feeling on top of their own sensations. They both felt like they were going to fly off the face of the earth.

It wasn’t awkward at all.

**

They were rocking on the back porch, Stiles wrapped in a blanket, Derek as naked as the day he was born.

They were cuddling.

And stroking skin.

“Thanks for not telling your father that this couldn’t be safe sex,” Derek said in a soft sarcastic tone and a bit tiredly. “I’m not sure how I made it out of that conversation alive.”

Stiles buried his head in his shoulder. “I couldn’t tell him.”

“You owe me,” Derek said. “I know you saved my life and all, for that…”

“I owe you big time,” Stiles agreed. “One favor whenever you want.”

The rocked back and forth. Looking at the night sky, feeling the new settling of the souls. They couldn’t stop touching. Thoughts raced through their minds too fast to put them into words. They couldn’t say what they wanted to say.

So they didn’t.

Stiles turned to Derek. “We don’t know what life will bring.”

“That is probably the one thing that we know,” Derek intoned.

“We have a little over thirty hours left,” Stiles said. “Wouldn’t be a waste if that only happened once?”

Derek looked at him for a second, seeing him, he reached up and touched Stiles’ cheek.

“I’d even add another favor,” Stiles said, suddenly feeling shy.

Derek gave him a huge smile and hauled Stiles and the blanket over his shoulder to carry them into the house.

“Trust me Stiles, this is no hardship.”

Stiles tilted his head and watched the movement of Derek’s ass as he was carried back to the bed.

“Then we should do this like it’s the last night on earth,” Stiles said.

Derek threw Stiles down on the bed and crawled up him. “That can definitely be arranged.”

**

Stiles hadn’t realized that affixing the soul was a two-way street. Derek could feel him now, all of his mess. All of his manic thoughts. All of him.

He was sure Derek was well and truly thrilled about this now. Derek characteristically said very little about it, except for the occasional texts like ‘breathe’, ‘it can’t be that bad’, or ‘you could always just panic about it later.’

Over the next few months they started hanging out in groups with other people and fighting the things that go bump in the night again.

Stiles would think about needing more soda and Derek would already be flagging down the waitress. Derek would have an idea for a sneak attack and Stiles would already be creeping around the back.

They didn’t need words any more, they were just in sync.

***

They didn’t stop having sex either. Or cuddling, but they were less likely to own up to that if anyone asked, which no one did, everyone just assumed they were still having sex. Everyone was right.

The last night before Stiles left, they lay curled in each other, skin to skin.

“If you find anyone else, I can transfer the claim,” Stiles said.

Derek looked at him and raised an eyebrow. “I’m fairly sure whoever I pick would be no better than the Harpies.”

“True,” Stiles said with a sigh. “But you don’t need to be saddled with me for the rest of your life just because I was there.”

“You shouldn’t either,” Derek said. “I will be unobtrusive as possible if you find someone. Maybe it can be just a platonic bond.”

They looked at each other. They were both trying to be bigger people, despite what they wanted, they weren’t in a position for forever promises, they just didn’t have a choice.

Stiles flopped back. “Ever wish it were someone but me?”

Derek looked at the ceiling, knowing full well that they couldn’t lie to each other. “No.”

It wasn’t a small word, and it just settled over them.

“Go,” Derek said. “Do whatever you want. Come back, don’t ever come back, the choice is yours. What you did for me shouldn’t hang over your head. I won’t ruin your life.

Stiles thought about the ruin of Derek’s life, up until recently.

“Whatever I chose, you will support?” Stiles asked, turning on his side.

“Well try not to get into any BSDM clubs at school, I’m not a fan of second hand pain,” Derek said looking at him, their eyes not looking away.

Stiles snorted. “I didn’t see that one in the extracurricular list, but I’ll try to not harm myself.”

Derek reached out a hand and ran it through Stiles’ hair. “Knowing you, with all the fights and mischief that you’ve gotten in over the last couple of years just try to keep it to a minimum.”

Stiles had no idea why his eyes started burning, but he didn’t look away. “I’ll keep your soul safe.”

Derek closed his eyes and when he opened them again there were unshed tears of his own.

“I don’t want to be a burden,” Derek whispered.

Stiles gave him a wavery smile. “You just set me free.”

“Lord help the world.”

It was light and teasing. Neither one of them questioned the things that weren’t being said between them. They didn’t know what the future would hold. Derek knew enough not to make rules because that would only make Stiles want to break them. Stiles knew enough not to make promises both because he didn’t know if he could keep any of them and Derek wouldn’t believe them anyway.

**

S: Have you found your new soulmate yet?

D: So this is still going to be a thing?

S: Of course, are you new. Also that wasn’t an answer.

D: You left ten minutes ago.

S: I really thought that you had more game than that.

D: What in my history gave you that idea?

**

The bones of the new Hale House began to form. Stiles’ future began to be explored.

They didn’t forget the past, they couldn’t forget their merged souls, and they didn’t have any clue about the future.

So they talked about school and pack.

They still talked.

But Derek was often absent when Stiles came home. Stiles didn’t come home very often. He was more the place people went.

Derek didn’t go.

**

S: So I might hook up with someone down the hall.

…

S: Is that okay?

D: Are you asking my permission to have sex?

S: We are very complicated. Don’t harass me.

D: Have at it. Just give me a heads up.

S: Why? It’s not like you can get drunk.

D: No, but I can get high.  
D: Very high.

S: Derek Hale! Are you a pot head? Do you listen to Grateful Dead and take bong rips?

D: It’s legal. Soccer moms do it now.

S: You certainly do have layers.

**

Undergrad turned into grad school.

The house became a home.

Stiles traveled around the world.

Derek became to be the pack emissary and Scott’s second.

Life was lived.

**

Sometimes the souls chafed. Sometimes they were the only thing keeping each other afloat. Derek and Stiles fought often, a few times going a month without talking. Sometimes they had phones glued to their ears.

Stiles was twenty-five when he came home. He had held Derek’s soul for almost a decade, Derek had been able to feel his for a few years less.

**

“Stiles is coming home tomorrow,” the Sheriff remarked.

Derek nodded over their salt free low cholesterol dinner. “I am aware.”

“I’m not sure which of you I should be menacing anymore,” the Sheriff added.

Derek shrugged.

“Are you nervous?” the Sheriff asked.

Derek just looked up at him. 

He could feel his soul, he could feel Stiles’ soul. He just wasn’t sure whose was whose any more. Somewhere along the way they just started melding. Derek was more than sure that his soul would be with Stiles until Stiles died.

He thought for a moment, if this was his life, if this was all he ever got, this was enough. It was more than he ever expected. More than he thought he deserved. His life was warmed by the warm effervescent light of Stiles Stilinski. If this is all he ever had it was enough.

“No, sir.”

**

When Stiles drove up his father and Scott were sitting on the steps with three beers.

The most garish and sparkly sign above their heads proclaimed, ‘WELCOME HOME.’

Stiles got out of the car grinning and Scott tackled him to the ground.

“Arg,” Stiles said. “I’m still human you overgrown mutt.”

Scott popped up grinning. “And you’re home! For keeps.”

Stiles grinned back and got up to give is father a hug.

The Sheriff looked at him in pride. In a week Detective Stiles Stilinki would be joining the police force. His son had a masters and had traveled and had come home to him. There had been long stretches of time he had worried none of that would ever happen.

“You happy, son?” the Sheriff asked.

Stiles’ smiles slipped and his eyes flickered around for a second before grinning again. “So happy.”

“He thought he’d stay clear today,” the Sheriff said with a little grin of his own.

“I know,” Stiles said, running a hand over his head. “I thought he might change his mind.”

The Sheriff put an arm around his son and lean him into the house. “I remember sitting down with Derek Hale, who was a great bit older than my seventeen-year-old son and having a long conversation about consent and bodily harm. If I had it to do over again, I’d have denied you two and kept you around here, you’ve been gone too long.”

Stiles laughed. “Liar, also it probably wouldn’t have worked.”

“I thought your life was going to be over,” Scott said, coming up behind him. “Stuck to Derek Hale for the rest of your life.”

Stiles thought for a moment as they walked into the living room and sat down.

“I’ve tried a great many things,” Stiles said slowly. “Never tried that one.”

“Oh really?” the Sheriff asked. “Because I spent a great many nights ignoring your bedroom window being opened.”

Stiles grinned. “We were affixing the bond.”

Scott hooted. “So that is what you were calling it. We had other names for it.”

“These are things I do not ever want to know,” Stiles informed him.

At that moment the front door was flung open. Chest heaving he looked around the room, those clear green eyes coming to rest on Stiles.

Stiles was not ready for this. He had not prepared. Those green eyes found his and suddenly he felt like he had been slammed into a brick wall. Derek had some grey around his temples and the creases around his eyes were deeper, as if he learned to laugh at some point, but he was the same, intense, dark, a presence. All the ten years of bickering and talking flew out of Stiles’ head and he was sixteen years old again, with a gigantic crush on this wolf.

It had only taken him almost ten years to be able to admit it.

Derek didn’t look away from Stiles, he seemed to be going through the same thing. “We have a problem.”

Immediately the Sheriff and Scott sat up straight, going into supernatural business mode.

“Lydia figured out what is eating people,” Derek said slowly, as if he was trying to remember words and ignore Stiles’ eyes as he was staring into them.

“Not a wolf?” Scott asked, almost hopefully. They knew how to deal with wolves.

“Not a wolf,” Derek confirmed. “It’s a Hausa, a soul eater. It’s a shapeshifter and usually looks human but can take on the form of a dog or other animal for the hunt. So it could look like a wolf. But it eats souls and internal organs to live.”

Stiles was able to focus again. “I have some excellent timing.”

“And two souls,” Scott said the obvious as his mind seem to race.

“Tell them Stiles,” Derek said, his green eyes still boring into Stiles.

“Hi to you too,” Stiles said, unable and unwanting to look away.

“Tell them,” Derek said through gritted teeth.

Stiles tore his eyes from Derek and looked at his dad and Scott. “I don’t have two souls anymore. Haven’t since the affixing. Somewhere along the way the two souls started melting together.”

Everyone was just looking at Stiles. Derek was resigned and the other two startled.

“I have a jumbo sized super-sized soul,” Stiles said. “Probably attractive to a soul eater. Very yummy. Probably one of those combo things, salty and sweet or tart and sugary.”

“You go nowhere alone,” his father said tonelessly.

“You cannot ground me,” Stiles shrieked. “I’m an adult. I am sure parental privileges have run out.”

“You go nowhere alone,” Scott said, reaching for his phone.

“You too, Alpha?” Stiles grumbled and looked at Derek. “You want to add your support for my house arrest?”

“You die, I die,” Derek told him.

Stiles mouth stayed open, but words stopped flowing to it. With a snap he closed it.

“So what’s the plan, how do we kill it?” Stiles asked.

Derek deflated. “We’re working on that. Right now we’re going to hope fire, beheading and silver until we hear differently.”

“Oh the old standbys,” Stiles said. “So good to be home. Should I be at the pack house?”

Derek raised an eyebrow. “The Hale House in the Preserve where a predator can steak up at any time? No.”

“You stay here Stiles,” the Sheriff said, gearing himself up for Stiles. “We’ll have somebody with you.”

“I start work in a week,” Stiles pointed out.

“Maybe we’ll find it by then,” Scott said. “If not you’re probably safe in a police station. For now we’ll try to keep your return quiet. It’s not like many of us have advertised that you took Derek’s soul.”

“I didn’t take it,” Stiles pouted.

“You stole it away from Harpies,” Derek pointed out, eyes again on Stiles.

“You’re welcome,” Stiles informed him. “Look what my good intentions got me. All this blame and house arrest.”

“You seemed to have had a lot of sex there for a while,” Scott pointed out.

Everybody turned and stared at him. The Sheriff started coughing.

Stiles sighed. “Still have the PlayStation, Dad? If I’m going to be here, I need something to do.”

“It’s in the hallway closet,” the Sheriff said sounding a little relieved. “I need to go into the office and get the latest files so the pack can look them over.”

“Send me some copies,” Stiles said. “I can look it over and see if I can find anything.”

“I’m going to the pack house,” Scott said. “I need to make sure we’re all geared up.”

“I’ll make phone calls from here,” Derek said. “See if any of the other packs have had experience on this.”

Stiles was texting Lydia to get what she had in the Bestiaries.

Everyone got moving. This was old hat.

“Welcome home, Stiles,” Derek said softly as he looked through his contacts.

Stiles looked over at him, eyes lingering just a second longer than they needed to.

**

The PlayStation never came out. Derek and Stiles went up to Stiles’ old room and began focusing on their tasks. Derek was pacing around the room on the phone, occasionally making notes on a legal pad Stiles gave him. Stiles was glued to his computer with the files coming through. 

At one point Derek started furiously scribbling with a pen and Stiles held up another wordlessly. Stiles didn’t even notice that he was hungry until Derek plopped a sandwich down next to him. 

Stiles looked up at Derek. His phone was between his shoulder and his ear and he was eating another sandwich.

It had been a long time, but it felt so familiar. Truth be told the intimacy had begun before they had gotten physical. The intimacy had started when Derek had accepted the first text message, maybe when Derek had given his soul to Stiles, trusting him.

“Focus,” Derek hissed, mouth a little full.

Stiles snorted. He didn’t see that happening easily.

**

“You cannot leave the house,” Lydia said over speakerphone.

“Says you and everyone else,” Stiles said. 

He and Derek were laying on the bed, Stiles’ cell phone on Derek’s chest.

“I’m not kidding Stiles,” Lydia said. “From what you found, and we confirmed this thing is partially psychic. You would be like a beacon with your super soul.”

“It’s Derek’s too,” Stiles said. “I’m just the housing.”

Derek rolled his eyes.

“Take this seriously,” Lydia said. “Derek, make sure he takes this seriously.”

“On it,” Derek said, staring up at the ceiling.

“Do you guys have silver, fire, and a good ax?” Scott asked. “We are still not sure what kills it, but one of those usually does.”

Stiles looked over at Derek and Derek nodded. “The Sheriff has all of that in the basement.”

“Good,” Scott said seriously before his voice took on a little giddy pride. “Stiles, did I tell you we got a flame thrower?”

“Like twelve times,” Stiles said. “Still cool every time.”

Derek snorted.

“Derek doesn’t like fun,” Scott muttered.

“Oh I’m well aware,” Stiles said. “I have a front row. Although he does get really happy when it comes to lumber.”

“Speaking of which,” Scott said. “You have to see this awesome house he built, you know after we get rid of the thing that really wants to kill you.”

“Sounds like a plan, party?” Stiles said with little enthusiasm.

“Guys,” Lydia said, so tired. “There is something vague in the Eastman bestiary that says that a lack of a soul may be toxic to the Hausa.”

Derek said up. “How?”

“We’re not sure yet,” Lydia said. “We’re trying to figure it out.”

“Just for the record we are not putting up Derek as bait,” Stiles said with no room for argument. “I have not gone through all of this for nine years after saving his life to have a soul eater munch on his entrails. What does one do with only one person and two souls anyway? I have put too much effort into making this all okay for him to die now. It would be a waste of the last nine years of my life.”

“Yeah, I’m sure that is it,” Lydia said flippantly. 

“Send me the pages, Lyds,” Stiles said tiredly. “Let me see if it matches something I’ve found.”

“I think having something poisonous to the Hausa next to you is the best bet,” Scott said. “Derek you okay with being on Stiles duty?”

Stiles lay back and sulked. It was a good idea, but he hated it on principle.

“Yeah,” Derek said emotionlessly. “Send someone to do patrols at night just in case.”

“Will do,” Scott replied. “Try not to do things that will distract you.”

Stiles wanted to die. 

His voice was dripping with sarcasm. “Thanks Scott.”

“Okay, we’ll call in a few,” Lydia said. 

Stiles clicked off the phone and the two of them just lay there.

“I don’t need a fucking bodyguard,” Stiles muttered.

Derek just grinned a little and said nothing.

“Aaaaaaand I, ei, willlll always love yooooou,” Stiles sang in probably the worst imitation of Whitney Huston ever.

“I welcome the soul eater,” Derek muttered as he sat up.

Stiles watched him stretch, the muscles in his back rippling under his shirt. They had been forged in desperation, bonded because of need, put together because of impossibility. They had no choice.

He was sure what he wanted to say. He had been practicing for a year. This wasn’t the setting or the time he thought he would say it, but he didn’t want it to be unsaid.

“We haven’t had many chances of free will,” Stiles said calmly. Derek stilled but didn’t turn around. “I did what I had to do to save your life. We did what we did so I could have a life. We’ve spent a great deal of time being put in a position where we just had to roll with the punches. Nobody said we had to like each other, that is where we get a choice, or at least that is what I have come to believe over the last couple of years. We get a choice in who we want to spend our time with, no matter what our overly emotional souls say. You’ve been great through everything, giving me space and permission to be a kid and to make dumb mistakes and to try out everything. You’ve never even made me feel like I was doing something because I was allowed. You didn’t put rules in place, you didn’t make me feel wrong for what I did.”

Derek’s shoulders had tensed, Stiles knew he was waiting for the bottom to fall out, because in his life it always did.

“I do you know, love you. Not because I know you or feel your soul, but I do because I do.”

Derek didn’t move. He seemed to be waiting for something else. Finally he turned and looked at Stiles, there was a little bit of incredulousness on his face.

But they couldn’t lie to each other.

“Is that what you’ve been hiding?” Derek asked slowly.

Stiles shrugged. “And why I came back to say.”

Derek’s face didn’t change, but there was warmth and a glow around the souls. Stiles knew it was all going to be okay. 

“I’m going to order pizza,” Stiles said picking up his phone.

Derek reached out a hand to stop him. “And if I do too?”

Stiles gave him a brilliant smile. “That would be your choice. We don’t have to sort it out tonight. We’ve got bigger things and pizza that should happen first.”

Derek didn’t let go of Stiles. “You are not allowed to die until we have this conversation.”

“Sure, now start with the rules,” Stiles said with a grin. 

“Pepperoni, sausage, and mushroom,” Derek said stretching as his phone buzzed. He picked it up from the charger and began another conversation.

Stiles felt something in the souls that he had never felt before. Somehow his spastic energy and Derek’s dread and doom had added up to a calmness. Now however, the souls seemed more solid. They seemed sure.

One day he would hear the words, but Stiles already knew what Derek felt about him.

Stiles ordered the pizza and went back to his computer.

**

The Sheriff came home around eleven.

“Get some sleep,” he told them.

“I’m an adult!” Stiles said without looking up.

“You’ll always be my kid,” the Sheriff turned towards Derek. “Make sure he goes to bed soon.”

“Yes sir,” Derek said.

“Suck up,” Stiles muttered.

Derek didn’t say anything he just took off his pants and crawled under Stiles’ covers. Stiles watched with an almost horrified look on his face

“We’re doing this now?” Stiles said in a strangled voice.

“Not having sex. Sleeping. I’m not doing it alone,” Derek said rolling over and closing his eyes.

And we may die.

He didn’t say it, but it was there.

Stiles began to strip off his clothes. “When did everyone start looking to you for my well-being?”

Derek didn’t make any pretense about not staring. “When did you start deciding if I was going to be bait or not.”

Stiles thought about that for a moment. 

“Oh. I guess we’re doing this.”

Derek snorted into the pillow. “Good thing I have no expectations of romantic sentiment.”

Stiles crawled into bed and let out a huge yawn that cracked his jaw. 

“That speech I gave took me a year. So probably not so much.”

He settled into bed and felt Derek curl around him. Skin against skin. It was a fact they would never tell anyone, but they were really good at cuddling.

Derek spoke one last time, barely a whisper.

“I love you too.”

The words were what carried Stiles to sleep.

**

They woke to Scott handing Lydia forty bucks.

“That’s some crappy ass werewolf bodyguarding,” Stiles elbowed Derek.

“Do you think I don’t know my own Alpha?” Derek said, offended.

“What’s the money for?” Stiles asked.

“Bet,” Lydia said nonchalantly. “You naked?”

“No, Alpha forbade it,” Stiles rolled his eyes.

Lydia gave Scott back twenty bucks.

“What’s going on?” Stiles asked.

Scott looked uncomfortable, so it was a good thing that Lydia never had such problems.

“Fire won’t kill it,” she said, taking out a book. “Beheading might or it might be able to transform into something else in time. It doesn’t seem to be adverse to silver. What will kill it is something soulless.”

“He has a soul,” Stiles defended.

“Yes, but not on him,” Lydia said, staring Stiles down.

“We’re here to come up with a plan,” Scott said starting to move to the door. “We brought coffee and pastries. I think Lydia and I will go down stairs so we can do this when you’re dressed.”

“You will always be my favorite,” Stiles told him.

They left and Stiles sat up.

“Whatever they have to say,” Stiles said, staring at his hands. “You do not die in order to save me.”

“Let’s see what they have to say,” Derek said emotionlessly.

Stiles looked at him. “I refuse to believe that I waited too long.”

Derek smiled at him, actually smiled. “I already have more than I ever thought I would have.”

Stiles scowled at him. “Good for you. I don’t.”

**

Stiles sat on the couch with his arms crossed, glaring at the papers on the coffee table. Derek sat sprawled a little smile on his lips as he looked at Stiles. Lydia watched the two of them, her finger tapping her lip. Scott also was looking at them with a puzzled expression.

“It’s a language of Nigerian origin,” Lydia finally said. “It’s also an extinct language. Sketchy is a kindness for the translation. Best guess is that it says that if a soul eater has something soulless inside of it, then it withers and dies.”

“Not eating Derek,” Stiles said without looking up, grabbing another paper.

“Do bugs have souls?” Scott asked. “We could just jam a spider down its throat.”

Everyone turned to look at him.

Scott shrugged. “This is why I have you guys. I’m more action than research.”

“Is there a non-lethal way to get Derek into this guy?” Stiles asked and then turned bright red.

“Not really into a poly relationship,” Derek replied.

Stiles gave him an incredulous look. “How do you know anything about poly?”

“You,” Derek said with a grin. “The great Tinder experiment.”

“Stop,” Lydia said holding up a hand. “I’ve really tried to keep us on track, but now is the moment when I have to ask, WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON?”

Stiles looked at Derek. Derek looked at Stiles. Derek raised an eyebrow and motioned to Lydia.

Stiles waved a hand and looked down at the papers. “Our souls merged, fighting it is stupid, probably going to be a thing if we cannot die.”

Lydia nodded. “You two have terrible timing.”

“Tell me about it,” Stiles said pulling a piece of paper from the table. He read it and then read it again.

He slapped the paper down on the table. “I’m bait.”

**

It took Stiles fifteen minutes to come up with a workable plan. It took him a day to convince Scott, Lydia, Derek, his father, and the pack that the plan could work.

**

Stiles donned a red hoodie for this because he thought it was hilarious.

This was not appreciated by anyone.

As far as step ones went, this one depended on a lot of luck and, as everyone pointed out, a lot of stupidity.

Stiles walked through the town. 

“Full of souls,” Stiles muttered. “Come and get me.”

After a few hours he stopped stalking and did a nostalgia tour of the town. Having not spent a lot of quality time here lately it was nice to see everything. It had changed, but it was his hometown. It was his home. 

He was at the high school when he heard the scream.

He hit the button on his phone and pulled up his hood.

He walked to the lacrosse field and a small girl stood there, shaking.

“Help,” she said. “Something tried to eat me.”

Stiles looked her over and there was no blood or tearing on her clothes. He walked forward carefully.

“What are you doing out here,” Stiles asked, keeping his hands in his hoodie pockets.

She looked at him wide eyed and held out a hand. “Will you help me get home?”

Stiles didn’t reach for her hand. “I have a cold, all germy. Why don’t you lead the way?”

The little girl was gone in a blink and it was replaced by a woman.

“Come home with me,” she said huskily.

Stiles raised an eyebrow. “I’m taken. Really taken.”

Her coy expression changed and she looked both sulky and really really hungry. She licked her lips.

“You’re beautiful,” she said with awe. “So big and juicy.”

“Something every guy wants to hear,” Stiles said.

If she touched him, she would own him. She would control him and quiver in joy as she ate his entrails. He kept himself covered as much as possible, just out of arms reach.

“Your someone has no idea what how wonderful you are,” she said, a silky tone in her voice. She reached out a hand to his face. “How special. How absolutely perfect and delicious you are.”

And she went flying across the field.

“Oh I’m aware,” Derek said, blue eyes blazing.

The woman looked up, her face scrunched up. Then suddenly a look of absolute fear crossed her face.

Derek gave her a predatory smile.

“How do you have no soul?” she asked. Then her eyes went to Stiles and she seemed to get it. Her eyes went wide and she stood up.

It happened in a blink. Derek was on one side of Stiles one moment and had his hand in the soul eater’s chest cavity the next.

She looked down at her chest and then up at him wide eyed as slowly all the moisture seemed to drain from her body.

Scott ran up with the pack behind him. They all watched as the soul eater disintegrated to dust.

Stiles didn’t take his eyes from Derek. Derek looked back at him.

“Do all your stupid plans work?” Derek growled.

“So far,” Stiles said, breathing a little hard. He didn’t realize that he had been holding his breath. “You’re still here.”

Derek flicked away the ash around his hand and stalked to Stiles. “Never again.”

Stiles’ chin went out definitely. 

“I cannot lose you,” Derek said in a low voice. “Not because of the souls, but if I get this chance, I cannot lose you.”

There were some coughs and some murmurs of ‘patrol’ and ‘check the area’ from the pack. There was the sounds of sneakers on grass making a hasty retreat.

Stiles saw the fire in Derek’s eye. He felt the burning in their souls.

He reached up and cupped either side of Derek’s face and pulled Derek towards his lips.

If the first kiss had whited out the world, this kiss, of two souls wrapped around each other with no discernable beginning or end, electrocuted the universe.

**

S: Do you think they exiled us?

“I’m laying right here,” Derek said, looking at his phone on the night stand.

They were in the cabin that they first consummated their relationship in. They were in bed, covered from the waist down with blankets, but completely naked besides that.

After the first night after the soul eater the Sheriff had politely asked them to take it to the packhouse. After the third night there the pack had begged them to go somewhere else to get it out of their system. The house was soundproofed, but it wasn’t smell proof or vibe proof. Years of holding back was sending out serious vibrations.

Derek and Stiles had been gone for two weeks, getting to know each other again. There was lots of talking and lots of physical activity.

Stiles threw his phone on his night stand.

“Lydia told us only to come back when we were acceptable for polite society,” Stiles sighed.

“Well that would be a first for you,” Derek intoned.

Stiles grinned.

“Do you want to go back?” Derek asked.

Stiles shrugged. “No, but it doesn’t seem practical to stay here forever.”

Before Derek could open his mouth, Stiles held up his hand.

“Don’t say it, I am just saying you have a house and the pack. I have a job that I’m a week late for. I’d love nothing more than to spend the next nine years holed up here, pretty sure we’d be fine, but we should rejoin society at some point. Something will want to kill our pack and they’d be lost without us.”

Derek moved to lay on his side and looked at Stiles.

“We’ve talked about what we were, we’ve talked a lot about who we are, we haven’t talked about what we want to be,” Derek stated, but it sounded like a question.

Stiles bit his lip. “If you want to be my boyfriend then I will warn you I’ve never had one for more than a month.”

“I know,” Derek said with some pride. “If you need someone to blame, I’ll totally bear that one.”

Stiles raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t sabotage anything,” Derek defended.

“Just had something better,” Stiles agreed.

They were silent, just staring again.

Stiles inhaled and said softly. “If you want a partner, a husband, to be a forever couple those might work out really better.”

Derek leaned in and kissed Stiles.

“I’ll take all of those,” Derek said against his lips.

Stiles laughed, full and happy. “Who says we can’t be romantic?”

Derek pulled Stiles closer. “Anyone who knows us. Good thing nobody else in this entire world has to date us.”

Stiles grinned at Derek.

They were exactly with who they needed to be with.

They had just taken the long way around.


End file.
